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NEW YORK/DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors Corp and Cerberus Capital Management have asked the U.S. government for roughly $10 billion in an unprecedented rescue package to support a merger between GM and Chrysler LLC, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks said on Monday.

The government funding would include roughly $3 billion in exchange for preferred stock in the merged automaker, according to one of the sources, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The U.S. Treasury Department is considering a request for direct aid to facilitate the merger and a decision could come this week, sources familiar with the still-developing government response said earlier on Monday.

An injection of $3 billion in equity to support a GM acquisition of Chrysler would be roughly equivalent to the current, depressed value of the top U.S. automaker.

It would also give U.S. taxpayers a large stake in the turnaround of a struggling auto industry that employs over 350,000 American workers and is credited with supporting employment for another 4.5 million in related fields.

Analysts see GM, Chrysler and rival Ford Motor Co having been driven to the brink of failure by a combination of management missteps, slowing global growth and problems in credit markets.

In addition to its equity stake, the U.S. government is also being asked to provide support for the GM-Chrysler merger by taking over some $3 billion in pension obligations under the terms of a proposal now before the government for review, the first source said.

The final component of the proposed support package would be a credit line that could include U.S. government purchases of commercial paper issued by GM to relieve short-term pressure on liquidity, the person said.

A combined GM-Chrysler would control roughly a third of the U.S. auto market by sales and would face immediate pressure to cut costs stemming from excess capacity in almost every facet of its business. Those would include a stable of 11 brands, roughly 10,000 dealers and some 97,000 union-represented factory workers, analysts have said.

But one of the conditions of the merger would be that GM-Chrysler would spare as many jobs as possible in order to win broad political support for the government funding needed to complete the deal, people familiar with the merger discussions said.

GM could not be immediately reached for comment. Cerberus and Chrysler had no comment.

The roughly $10 billion to support the GM merger with Chrysler would be in addition to whatever funds would be allocated to the automaker under an already approved $25 billion program to provide low-interest loans to the industry for retooling to make more fuel-efficient cars.

(Additional reporting by David Bailey)

There's got to be some irony in there about Taxpayers who own Toyota's paying for this....

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This is the only way they can afford the merger... Which would indicate to me they more or less have a framework in place for the merger, maybe an agreement in principle but simply need the capital to make it happen.

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we gave wall street how many billion and it doesn't benefit the average mortgage holder.

this is a pittance in comparison. this seems like a good faith act to me from GM and Chrysler. Folks, this may be the only option. Both GM and Chrylser are subject to failure and absorption by foreign companies if this or something like it does not occur.

Not only this, but Ford and GM are strong in the global arena. We need to have this presence in the global automotive arena. We're a player, if we don't do this, it severely weakens GME and I think it will weaken ford as well.

this isn't about product. GM is getting the product out. maybe not totally fast enough, but honestly, now you understand why we have been seeing so many press releases about killing old models, and the new Cruzes and Volts and such in the pipeline.

If your average toyota owner protests, then that's their own problem. I want to find out who they work for, so I can lobby their leaders to send their corporate offices overseas. I want to find out which products they create, so i can buy something else.

Folks, if we don't retain ownership of the cars we buy and service here, you might as well kiss this thing goodbye. If GM and Chrysler go down, then you can bet its not far off until those workers at the import plants here get job cuts and wage cuts and over time, plants shuttered. All your cars will be built in Asia and India and shipped over. There is no incentive for Import brands to keep as large a presence as they do here, once our own US owned companies fall.

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There's got to be some irony in there about Taxpayers who own Toyota's paying for this....

Folks, if we don't retain ownership of the cars we buy and service here, you might as well kiss this thing goodbye. If GM and Chrysler go down, then you can bet its not far off until those workers at the import plants here get job cuts and wage cuts and over time, plants shuttered. All your cars will be built in Asia and India and shipped over. There is no incentive for Import brands to keep as large a presence as they do here, once our own US owned companies fall.

That was the plan all along, right?

Destroy our industry, then 'enslave' the consumer for the benefit of the company's OWN society.

See, what most americans FAIL to realize is that NO ONE in the global economy has OUR best interests at heart. The average american seems to somehow think that these companies set up shop here and cannibalize our industry because they are "Proud to do business here" or "Proud to contribute to our 'flourishing' lifestyles" or even worse, so they can "Save the environment" But in reality, these corporations are just that: CORPORATIONS that are BASED in other societies that WANT OUR MONEY. These corporations are the most efficient money making machines to ever exist and they are successfully draining our wealth right in under our noses, ALL THE WHILE turning us against OUR moneymakers and CLOSING THEIR MARKETS so that we have NO chance to get that money back.

It's so simple and so brilliant. It's like feeding a starving kid steak and stabbing him in the back with the steak knife at the same time.

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Destroy our industry, then 'enslave' the consumer for the benefit of the company's OWN society.

See, what most americans FAIL to realize is that NO ONE in the global economy has OUR best interests at heart. The average american seems to somehow think that these companies set up shop here and cannibalize our industry because they are "Proud to do business here" or "Proud to contribute to our 'flourishing' lifestyles" or even worse, so they can "Save the environment" But in reality, these corporations are just that: CORPORATIONS that are BASED in other societies that WANT OUR MONEY. These corporations are the most efficient money making machines to ever exist and they are successfully draining our wealth right in under our noses, ALL THE WHILE turning us against OUR moneymakers and CLOSING THEIR MARKETS so that we have NO chance to get that money back.

It's so simple and so brilliant. It's like feeding a starving kid steak and stabbing him in the back with the steak knife at the same time.

While you're oversimplifying the case, the fact is that the US exports its goods & services throughout the world. We just happen to do a poor job with the export of automotive products.

This can & should be laid at the feet of the Dom 3's management---when you fail to plan, you're planning to fail, et al.

We're a consumptive culture that has put a premium on materialism---that breeds the result that you've identified...

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Since 10Billion is several times GM's market cap (not sure if Chrysler is added in... but I get the impression that you don't sell Chrysler so much as you pay someone to take them from you), the US government should then own GM/Chrysler. Rename it to USA Socialist Motors (USASM). Resume making average cars that wouldn't exist without the Socialist USA backing it. The US government could use all their finance and insurance firms to sweeten each vehicle purchase. If that doesn't work, change the US laws so that everyone in the US is obliged to own at least two of them. Call it the God-Bless-USA-Is-The-Bestest-Country-In-The-Universe act. If it doesn't pass, roast your opponent in the next election with it, "My opponent voted against God Blessing America and against the USA being the best country in the universe 100% of the time.".

So does true capitalism actually exist anywhere in the world? Is it safe to say that socialism has "won"? Not that I object... the US' aversion to it seemed to me to be the rich fleecing the poor.

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Destroy our industry, then 'enslave' the consumer for the benefit of the company's OWN society.

See, what most americans FAIL to realize is that NO ONE in the global economy has OUR best interests at heart. The average american seems to somehow think that these companies set up shop here and cannibalize our industry because they are "Proud to do business here" or "Proud to contribute to our 'flourishing' lifestyles" or even worse, so they can "Save the environment" But in reality, these corporations are just that: CORPORATIONS that are BASED in other societies that WANT OUR MONEY. These corporations are the most efficient money making machines to ever exist and they are successfully draining our wealth right in under our noses, ALL THE WHILE turning us against OUR moneymakers and CLOSING THEIR MARKETS so that we have NO chance to get that money back.

It's so simple and so brilliant. It's like feeding a starving kid steak and stabbing him in the back with the steak knife at the same time.

yeah, but so many Americans seem to be fine with. I hope they enjoy flipping burgers and cleaning toilets cause that's all we'll be doing here in the not too distant future. At least 99% of us.

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Since 10Billion is several times GM's market cap (not sure if Chrysler is added in... but I get the impression that you don't sell Chrysler so much as you pay someone to take them from you), the US government should then own GM/Chrysler. Rename it to USA Socialist Motors (USASM). Resume making average cars that wouldn't exist without the Socialist USA backing it. The US government could use all their finance and insurance firms to sweeten each vehicle purchase. If that doesn't work, change the US laws so that everyone in the US is obliged to own at least two of them. Call it the God-Bless-USA-Is-The-Bestest-Country-In-The-Universe act. If it doesn't pass, roast your opponent in the next election with it, "My opponent voted against God Blessing America and against the USA being the best country in the universe 100% of the time.".

So does true capitalism actually exist anywhere in the world? Is it safe to say that socialism has "won"? Not that I object... the US' aversion to it seemed to me to be the rich fleecing the poor.

Truthfully, capitalism, has not existed, is not existing and will not exist in its purest form in the world period. The real trick is how much you balance the socialism and capitalism to create the so called free economy. Asians learnt it early and have been doing it for a long time, Americans are learning it the hard way.

It is a necessity in pure capitalism to let those who do not succeed to fall and honestly according to hardcore Adam Smith theory GM and Chrysler should go down, but there is a difference between theory and practice. The practice is that the competition is not following pure capitalism, the practice is that other parts of this automotive ecosystem - which are 10 times more than the auto manufacturers - are going to be endangared with GM failure, the practice is that lawmakers know they have FUBARed the situation and need to cover their hinds, the practice is that failures are going to trigger the collapse of this nation and the entire world. Therefore like it or not bailouts will come for the Big Three.

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Since 10Billion is several times GM's market cap (not sure if Chrysler is added in... but I get the impression that you don't sell Chrysler so much as you pay someone to take them from you), the US government should then own GM/Chrysler. Rename it to USA Socialist Motors (USASM). Resume making average cars that wouldn't exist without the Socialist USA backing it. The US government could use all their finance and insurance firms to sweeten each vehicle purchase. If that doesn't work, change the US laws so that everyone in the US is obliged to own at least two of them. Call it the God-Bless-USA-Is-The-Bestest-Country-In-The-Universe act. If it doesn't pass, roast your opponent in the next election with it, "My opponent voted against God Blessing America and against the USA being the best country in the universe 100% of the time.".

So does true capitalism actually exist anywhere in the world? Is it safe to say that socialism has "won"? Not that I object... the US' aversion to it seemed to me to be the rich fleecing the poor.

everyone else is already doing it, Japan is the best at it already. Maybe the US needs to do it, just to keep pace.

y'all realize our agriculture is heavily subsidized here......with part of the express purpose of strategy, to ensure we have the basic ability to make our own food and not become dependent on another society to do so. If we went to war, but got all our food from elsewhere, and then had to suffer a complete cut off of food supply, we would be in a weakened position and could be taken over.

Now cars, it can viewed as a luxury, but people, part of what makes us a strong nation is our mobility. Since we all need to be mobile, we need cars. I would maintain its in our national interest to have the capacity to design and manufacture vehicles ourselves. We let GM and Chrysler go down, you might as well call us strategically weakened on that standpoint as well.

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Since 10Billion is several times GM's market cap (not sure if Chrysler is added in... but I get the impression that you don't sell Chrysler so much as you pay someone to take them from you), the US government should then own GM/Chrysler. Rename it to USA Socialist Motors (USASM). Resume making average cars that wouldn't exist without the Socialist USA backing it. The US government could use all their finance and insurance firms to sweeten each vehicle purchase. If that doesn't work, change the US laws so that everyone in the US is obliged to own at least two of them. Call it the God-Bless-USA-Is-The-Bestest-Country-In-The-Universe act. If it doesn't pass, roast your opponent in the next election with it, "My opponent voted against God Blessing America and against the USA being the best country in the universe 100% of the time.".

So does true capitalism actually exist anywhere in the world? Is it safe to say that socialism has "won"? Not that I object... the US' aversion to it seemed to me to be the rich fleecing the poor.

BTW, GM ford etc are worth so little partially because of wall street conspiracy to short sell and drive down stock prices, to eliminate the wealth of the middle class, and to extort payoff money from the taxpayer. GM and Ford etc. they see as future profit potential, that once the market turns around, they can make a killing by being able to buy it rock bottom.

If GM's stock were worth 20 bucks a share, their market cap would be much more. Right now their market cap is artifically low vs. what they really bring to the table.

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Truthfully, capitalism, has not existed, is not existing and will not exist in its purest form in the world period. The real trick is how much you balance the socialism and capitalism to create the so called free economy. Asians learnt it early and have been doing it for a long time, Americans are learning it the hard way.

It is a necessity in pure capitalism to let those who do not succeed to fall and honestly according to hardcore Adam Smith theory GM and Chrysler should go down, but there is a difference between theory and practice. The practice is that the competition is not following pure capitalism, the practice is that other parts of this automotive ecosystem - which are 10 times more than the auto manufacturers - are going to be endangared with GM failure, the practice is that lawmakers know they have FUBARed the situation and need to cover their hinds, the practice is that failures are going to trigger the collapse of this nation and the entire world. Therefore like it or not bailouts will come for the Big Three.

its not like we would be bailing out incompetents. On some aspects, yes. But look at how successful GM and Ford's products are elsewhere and how much of their sales occur globally. I would maintain even from a global trade balance scenario alone doing a bailout justifies this action.

We have 2 major players in the world auto market, in terms of US presence in the global arena in a broad sense, and not just cars....we need to do this.

You could even argue that its our own internals laws and policies that keep these companies from being successful here when they can be so successful abroad. That alone suggests our system here may be the problem. Doing a bailout may just be righting the ship here, so to speak.

PCS can remind us how much of GM's total business is done outside the US. If we endorse GM going down, then you as a country are saying, 'I do not want a US company to represent us in the global economy'.

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If this were just limited to GM's plight, I'd tend to agree that GM has made their own bed, now lay in it, but that clearly is not the case. There are more powerful forces at work and I have to admit that I am growing more panicky by the day.

Simply put: where has all this 'wealth' vanished to?

Entire countries are teetering on the verge of insolvency: Iceland, much of the former USSR republics. The Russian and Brazilan stock exchanges are closed more than open lately. Manulife, one of Canada's biggest insurance companies is now whining about needing a government bail out because they 'over sold' their amazing GICs and now the value of their stock won't cover the IOUs they've writte - OOPS!

We are smugly told that Canada is in beter shape: yeah? Then explain why 24% of my mutual funds have evaporated in the past 6 weeks (more if I include how much they were worth at their peak in June!)

This is more than bailing out Detroit. There is something fundamentally wrong with our capitalist system. We have 100 years of economic history to learn from - something those who lived through the 1929 implosion did not have. How has this mess happened and where has this wealth gone?

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If this were just limited to GM's plight, I'd tend to agree that GM has made their own bed, now lay in it, but that clearly is not the case. There are more powerful forces at work and I have to admit that I am growing more panicky by the day.

Simply put: where has all this 'wealth' vanished to?

Entire countries are teetering on the verge of insolvency: Iceland, much of the former USSR republics. The Russian and Brazilan stock exchanges are closed more than open lately. Manulife, one of Canada's biggest insurance companies is now whining about needing a government bail out because they 'over sold' their amazing GICs and now the value of their stock won't cover the IOUs they've writte - OOPS!

We are smugly told that Canada is in better shape: yeah? Then explain why 24% of my mutual funds have evaporated in the past 6 weeks (more if I include how much they were worth at their peak in June!)

This is more than bailing out Detroit. There is something fundamentally wrong with our capitalist system. We have 100 years of economic history to learn from - something those who lived through the 1929 implosion did not have. How has this mess happened and where has this wealth gone?

There was a lot of on-paper wealth involved, witness the recent bursting of the petroleum and housing bubble. Intangible wealth that people had no compunction in tapping when perceived values were on the rise.

So now we're seeing the re-calibration of who it is that we really are and our collective valuation.

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everyone else is already doing it, Japan is the best at it already. Maybe the US needs to do it, just to keep pace.

y'all realize our agriculture is heavily subsidized here......with part of the express purpose of strategy, to ensure we have the basic ability to make our own food and not become dependent on another society to do so. If we went to war, but got all our food from elsewhere, and then had to suffer a complete cut off of food supply, we would be in a weakened position and could be taken over.

Now cars, it can viewed as a luxury, but people, part of what makes us a strong nation is our mobility. Since we all need to be mobile, we need cars. I would maintain its in our national interest to have the capacity to design and manufacture vehicles ourselves. We let GM and Chrysler go down, you might as well call us strategically weakened on that standpoint as well.

An interesting point you bring up. It could perhaps be generalized a bit further to say that we need the capability of manufacturing machinery in this country. If we do go to war (okay already are) we need to be able to build our own stuff. I'm not saying that our tanks, etc are made in Japan (or wherever) now but with a dwindling manufacturing base, how long before that becomes a possibility? Perhaps it really is an issue of national security?

I remember seeing old posters from WW2. Cadillac powered tanks. Now that's impressive!

An interesting point you bring up. It could perhaps be generalized a bit further to say that we need the capability of manufacturing machinery in this country. If we do go to war (okay already are) we need to be able to build our own stuff. I'm not saying that our tanks, etc are made in Japan (or wherever) now but with a dwindling manufacturing base, how long before that becomes a possibility? Perhaps it really is an issue of national security?

I remember seeing old posters from WW2. Cadillac powered tanks. Now that's impressive!

Maybe the military will work with Toyota on building green tanks powered by Prius drivetrains..

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An interesting point you bring up. It could perhaps be generalized a bit further to say that we need the capability of manufacturing machinery in this country. If we do go to war (okay already are) we need to be able to build our own stuff. I'm not saying that our tanks, etc are made in Japan (or wherever) now but with a dwindling manufacturing base, how long before that becomes a possibility? Perhaps it really is an issue of national security?

I remember seeing old posters from WW2. Cadillac powered tanks. Now that's impressive!

any nation that wants to remain strong against any adversary must be able to make their own war tools and also be able to provide people's basic needs within their own boundaries as well.

Don't think for one second that there isn't some other country out there waiting for us to incapacitate ourselves in this way. Same thing goes for technology and medical. We need to have the ability to provide food and supplies, mobility, technology and communication, and medical, all ourselves, in case the sht comes down. And other countries are strategically trying over time to erode our ability to do this. Part of the way they do this is to weaken our economic capacity to do this ourselves.

did it ever occur to anyone that part of the reason we buy oil overseas is so we don't use our own, so we have it in case we need it?

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BTW, GM ford etc are worth so little partially because of wall street conspiracy to short sell and drive down stock prices, to eliminate the wealth of the middle class, and to extort payoff money from the taxpayer. GM and Ford etc. they see as future profit potential, that once the market turns around, they can make a killing by being able to buy it rock bottom.

If GM's stock were worth 20 bucks a share, their market cap would be much more. Right now their market cap is artifically low vs. what they really bring to the table.

Plainly, you couldn't cover 10% of their outstanding liabilities if they were to be parted out in pieces. The same people who gave them the money to dig the hole they're in are the same people that are desperate to keep them solvent.

Donald Trump once famously said if you owe the banks millions and cannot repay it, they own you---if you owe them billions, that's when you own them---such is GM & Ford's lot today.